According to an AARP survey, nearly 90% of seniors prefer to age in place instead of moving to another facility. The reasons are understandable: Most of them are rightly proud of the home they’ve built over the years. Staying there helps them keep a sense of dignity and independence.
However, the risk of falling also increases as we age. Even if your loved one never falls, worrying about it can make them feel anxious and hesitant about moving about their house, and those fears can reduce their overall quality of life.
There’s good news, though: With the resources available for Ann Arbor seniors, there are plenty of options to help reduce your loved one’s risk of falling both inside and outside the home.
Fall Prevention Resources for Seniors in Ann Arbor
There are plenty of resources available for Ann Arbor seniors to help reduce their risk of falling, from fun exercise classes that improve stability and coordination to home improvements that help your loved one move about with confidence. Here are some of our favorites:
- Improve Their Home
About 80% of senior falls occur at home, and one of the most common reasons is that the home itself no longer serves their needs. Loose carpets, flickering lights and wobbly floorboards that used to be nothing more than an annoyance can become hazardous once balance and coordination start to decline.
However, these are things you can manage with a little forethought and elbow grease. By handling home maintenance tasks promptly and adding a few safety modifications, you can ensure your loved one’s house continues to be a place where they can thrive.
First, go through the house and make sure the floors are clear. Pick up any clutter that’s lying around, and make sure there are no tripping hazards, especially in the walkways. (It’s especially important to get to this before your loved one does. Bending down to pick something off the floor can be painful and hazardous for them, so it’s best to remove the temptation by handling this yourself.)
Second, handle any easy maintenance tasks you can. Tighten up railings and leaky pipes and keep loose rugs in place with traction tape. Make sure to change any aging lightbulbs, and add some night lights to make sure no walkway is ever completely dark.
Third, take an inventory of home safety modifications your loved one might benefit from. Once you know what you need, head over to Stadium Hardware, Ann Arbor’s own independent hardware store for 60 years. Stadium won’t just sell you the materials you’ll need; they’ll share their expert advice and guidance so you can make sure you get it done right the first time.
Make sure to add grab bars to bathrooms and reflective tape to stairways, and consider adding additional railings to stairways that only have one. Many of these improvements are simple enough to handle on your own, but for more complicated installations like elevators or non-slip flooring, don’t hesitate to call a professional.
- Get Active to Improve Balance
You already know that regular exercise is great for physical health, but it also has a whole host of other benefits—like improving seniors’ mental health. It can also reduce fall risk by strengthening their stabilizing muscles while improving flexibility and balance.
This is especially true for exercises designed specifically to improve seniors’ balance like those hosted at the Ann Arbor YMCA. The first, Moving for Better Balance, draws on the slow and deliberate movement style of Tai Chi to improve strength and stability. The second, Move & Groove, is a fun and dynamic but gentle musical exercise class that helps with flexibility, mobility and body awareness. And even better, both are great opportunities for Ann Arbor seniors to make friends and build real connections.
If those classes don’t fit your loved one’s schedule, the Ann Arbor Senior Center also has great options to help them get moving. In addition to their own Move & Groove class, they also host a variety of group walks on local nature trails or in nearby parks.
- Help Them Clean Up
Having a clean house can give a huge boost to a person’s sense of dignity and their overall well-being. It’s especially important for retirees, who spend a lot of time at home. It gets even more important over time as people lose coordination because clutter can create tripping hazards.
However, cleaning can be a challenge for seniors who struggle with balance and stability. It often requires movements like reaching upward or bending over, as well as handling unwieldy equipment like brooms and vacuum cleaners, which all increase falling risks.
That’s why it’s a good idea to help your loved one keep their home clean as much as possible. The top priority is to eliminate any clutter lying on the floor, then handle whichever tasks are riskiest for them to try on their own.
The more consistently you can help them tidy up, the better, so we recommend looking into a cleaning service like Arbor Trail Cleaning Co. With regular visits from a professional cleaner, their house will look and feel like a place they can be proud of.
Get a Partner for Fall Prevention
Falls can be dangerous for seniors, but they’re also preventable with the right resources. One of the best ways to help them with mobility and reduce the risk of falls is to have someone around to help with everyday life.
With the support from a professional caregiver at FirstLight Home Care of Greater Ann Arbor, your loved one won’t just help with daily tasks like bathing and dressing. They’ll also have help with cooking and light housekeeping—as well as a strong arm to lean on that can keep them mobile and upright.
Want to learn more about your care options? Contact us today.
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